Newsletter

Savannah woman dead after Thursday fire

A 53-year-old Savannah woman has died as a result of injuries she received in a Thursday morning fire at an apartment house at Lincoln and east 38th Street, said Savannah Fire & Emergency Services spokesman Mark Keller.

Savannah Fire investigators say the victim, Joann Wells, was among seven adults who escaped the burning structure at 219 east 38th St. in the early morning hours of June 5. Investigators say she fled the area on foot and was later transported to Memorial University Medical Center by emergency medical personnel. She was treated in the emergency room and immediately flown to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Augusta. Burn center personnel notified investigators that the victim died early Monday morning.

SFES investigators continue their inquiry into the cause of the blaze. They say the fire appears to have started at the back of the structure, inside a room connected to a porch. The flames spread quickly throughout the occupied side of the structure, causing extensive damage to that side.

The flames also extended into the attic, affecting the unoccupied side (217 E. 39th St.), which is undergoing renovations, causing damage to the attic area but leaving the living area of that side unaffected by fire. The entire structure sustained heavy smoke and water damage.